Hopper closure for filling machine with external bag clamps, which lifts and spreadsbags upon being opened



June 13, 1950 H. BOWES 2,511,241

HOPPER CLOSURE FOR, FILLING MACHINE WITH EXTERNAL BAG CLAMPS, WHICH LIFTS AND SPREADS BAGS UPON BEING OPENED Filed April 9, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 13, 1950 L. H. BOWES 2,511,241

HOPPER CLOSURE FOR FILLING MACHINE WITH EXTERNAL BAG CLAMPS, WHICH LIFTS AND SPREADS BAGS UPON BEING OPENED Filed April 9, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 "fiw &

L. H. BOWES June 13, 1950 2,51 1,241 HOPPER CLOSURE FOR FILLING MACHINE WITH EXTERNAL BAG CLAMPS, WHICH LIFTS AND SPREADS BAGS UPON BEING OPENED 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 9, 1947 June 13, 1950 L. H. BOWES 2,511,241

HOPPER CLOSURE FOR FILLING MACHINE WITH EXTERNAL BAG CLAMPS, WHICH LIFTS AND SPREADS BAGS UPON BEING OPENED Filed April 9, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 13, 1950 HQPPEB CLGSURE FOR FILLING MACHINE WITH EXTERNAL BAG CLAMPS, WHICH LIFTS AND SPREADS BAGS UPON BEING OPENED Leslie H. Bowes, Wadsworth, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Mort-on Salt Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 9, 1947, Serial No. 740,308

9 Claims.

This invention relates to bag filling apparatus, and it has particular reference to apparatus for holding and spreading the mouths of bags while they are being filled with fluent materials such as salt, sugar, flour, grain and other commodities, and for presenting the filled bags to a closure stitching machine in such condition that the stitching operation may be performed without the necessity for undue handling of the filled bags by the operator.

The operators of bag filling and closure stitching apparatus of the type to which this invention is directed are usually women, and in some localities the laws governing working conditions of women prohibit the handling, or particularly the lifting, of articles in excess of prescribed weights, and in certain cases the lifting or articles of a weight in excess of 35 lbs. is prohibited.

In view of the fact that certain commodities, such for example as salt, are packaged in bags of 100 lbs. capacity, and these bags, after filling, usually require shaking or jolting to settle the contents and provide sufficient material at the bag mouth for application of the closing stitching, it will be apparent that the furnishing of bag filling apparatus which will not only securely hold the bag with its mouth properly spread during filling, but will shake or jolt the filled bag prior to its release and presentation to the stitching machine, makes possible the employment of woman operators in attendance on the apparatus without undue fatigue and Within the conditions of their employment as defined by the laws applicable in some localities.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of bag filling apparatus which meets these requirements.

Another object is to provide apparatus which is semi-automatic in its operations of clamping, spreading and supporting the bag by its mouthadjacent portions, filling it with the selected commodity, shaking or jolting it after filling to settle its contents, releasing it upon a travelling conveyor with its mouth end up and with sufficient of its material adjacent to the mouth free for closure stitching, and then thus transporting it to and through the stitching machine and discharging it for subsequent handling and shipment.

A further object is to provide a bag clamping, spreading and supporting means which is yieldable in its mode of operation and is thereby made adaptable, within appropriate limits, to the handling of bags of various sizes.

A still further object is to provide eifective bag 5 clamping, spreading and supporting means of relatively few parts and of rugged construction, not apt to fail in use and capable of being manufactured at relatively low cost.

Still another object is to provide for operation of the bag clamping, spreading and supporting means by fluid pressure operated devices in such a manner that the design and arrangement of its parts and the means for effecting control of its operation may be relatively simple and guarded against ordinary mechanical failure.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated,

Figs. 1 and 2 are schematic end and side views, respectively, of apparatus in accordance with the invention, certain parts in Fig. 1 being shown in section taken substantially on line Il of Fig. 2,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view of the feed hopper and the bag clamping, spreading and supporting means associated therewith,

Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of the manually operated control means for the bag clamping, spreading and supporting means,

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a valve suitable for control of pressure fluid supplied to and exhausted from the cylinders for operating the bag clamping means, the parts being shown in positions appropriate to actuation of the clamping means as illustrated in Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a valve similar to that shown in Fig. 5, but adapted to control of the slides of the bag clamping, spreading and supporting means, the parts being shown in positions appropriate to actuation of the clamping,

spreading and supporting means as illustrated in Fig. 3,

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but with the parts of the bag clamping, spreading and supporting means in fully elevated position,

Fig. 8 is a side view of the mechanism as shown in Fig. 7, and

Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional elevations, upon a a smaller scale and with parts omitted, showing the bag clamping, spreading and supporting mechanism substantially as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 7, respectively, and with a bag indicated in broken lines in its relation to this mechanism and to the conveyor belt.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the apparatus includes a somewhat conventional Weighing hopper I from which predetermined measured charges of the commodity (salt for example) to be bagged are discharged into a feed hopper or chute 2. Suitably supported, as by slings 3, adjacent to the lower discharge end of the feed chute or hopper 2 are face plates 4 which serve as parts of the bag clamping, spreading and supporting mechanism, and carry the same, as will be described in detail hereinafter.

Located below the bag clamping, spreading and supporting mechanism, and in longitudinal alignment therewith, is a travelling conveyor belt 5, the upper flight of which travels in the direction indicated by the arrow (Fig. 5) and is spaced from the bag clamping, spreading and supporting means, when the latter are in their lowermost position as indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 9, a distance slightly greater than the length of the bag to be filled (see Fig. 9). Means, not shown, may be provided for adjusting the proximity of the conveyor belt to the bag clamping, spreading and supporting means to accommodate the apparatus to the most efiicient handling of bags of various capacities and concomitantly various lengths.

Flanking the conveyor belt at either or both sides, as may be found most expedient, and in proper functional relation to the other parts of the apparatus, are work tables 6, and a bag stitching or sewing machine I is provided with its head 8 preferably extending over the path of travel of the conveyor belt 5 and substantially in line with, or properly functionally located for operation upon, the tops of the filled bags transported upon the conveyor belt.

Referring now to Figs. 3 to 10, it will be noted that the face plates 4 are of substantially triangular formation with their apexes pointed downward, and they are provided upon their opposed inner faces with converging ways 9 forming complemental tracks to receive the opposite edges of similar slides I carrying at their lower edges internal clamping members H over which the mouths of bags to be filled may be loosely adjusted, and also serving as closure or cut-off means for the feed chute or hopper 2.

Sliding movement longitudinally of the ways 9 is imparted to the slides II! by the piston rods I2 of fiuid pressure operated cylinders I3 rigidly mounted upon brackets I4 secured to and serving to maintain the face plates 4 in appropriate spaced arrangement. As the slides are moved upwardly in the ways the internal clamping members II will be simultaneously elevated and spread apart (see Figs. 7, 8 and 10).

Pivoted for swinging movement in ears I5 on the slides I9 are external clamping members I6 complemental to the internal clamping members II, and movement is imparted to these external clamping members to cause them to clamp and release a bag with respect to the internal clamping members by the pivotally connected ends I! of the piston rods I8 of fluid pressure operated cylinders I9 which are pivoted in bearings 20 of brackets 2I rigidly attached to the slides I0.

Pressure fluid, preferably compressed air, at appropriate pressure, say 85 lbs., is led direct from a line 22 to the cylinders I9 under control of four-way valves 23 (Fig. 5), and pressure fluid, preferably from the same source, is conducted to the cylinders I3 through a pressure reducing valve 24, at approximately 15-20 lbs. pressure, under control of four-way valves 25 (Fig. 6). Thus the pressure fluid may be admitted alternately, under control of the valves 23 and 25, to opposite ends of the cylinders I9 and I3, respectively.

Control of the valves 23, by imparting proper reciprocation to their pistons 23', is accomplished by means of bell crank levers 26 operated by trip rods 21 actuated for movement in one direction by springs 28 and for movement in the opposite direction by adjustable followers 29 upon the engagement of such followers with guide and stop plates 39.

Control of the valves 25, by imparting proper reciprocation to their pistons 25', is accomplished by means of bell crank levers 3| adjustably connected by collars 32 to connecting links 33. These links 33 are joined by a pivotal connection 34 to a sliding latch bar 35 provided with an operating handle 35 and latched in one of its extremes of sliding movement by a dog 31 engaging a stop 38 carried by the bar (see Figs. 3 and 4). Release of the dog 31 is accomplished by upward movement of a trip lever 39 through a link 40, whereupon the latch bar 35 and links 33 will be raised by springs 4| tensioned between the links 33 and fixed parts of the frame, such as the brackets I4 (see Figs. 7 and 8).

By these arrangements of controls for the pairs of valves 23 and 25 for controlling the pairs of cylinders I9 and I3, respectively, it will be apparent that when the parts are in the positions shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 9, the handle 36 of the latch bar 35 will have been pushed down against the action of the tension springs M, and the dog 3'! will have engaged the stop 38 under the influence of the weight of the trip lever 39 and its link 43, the pistons 25' of the control valves 25 thereby having been moved to position (Fig. 6) to admit pressure fluid to the tops of the cylinders I3 above the pistons therein. Thereby the pistons, through their rods I2 will have moved the slides III to the lowermost extremes of their movement, closing the bottom of the feed chute or hopper 2 and carrying with them the external clamping members I6 and their operating cylinders I9, control valves 23 and trip rods 21 which latter, when their followers 29 engaged the stop plates 30, will have adjusted their control valve pistons 23' to position (Fig. 5) to admit pressure fluid to the bottoms of the cylinders thereby to disengage the external clamping plates from the internal clamping members.

In the interest of safety of the operator, and primarily to prevent, as effectively as possible, injury of the operators hands, wing guards 42 and buffer guards 43 are provided for the apparatus adjacent to both ends of the clamping members.

In operation of the apparatus it will be assumed that means are provided for appropriate intermittent supply to the weighing hopper I of the commodity to be bagged, that a supply of empty bags of predetermined size for which the conveyor belt 5 has been vertically adjusted is at hand and that the pressure fluid at desired pressure is available in the line 22.

Now, starting with the parts of the apparatus in the positions shown in Figs. 1 to 6 and 9, the operator will pass the open mouth of a bag a (Fig. 9) up over the internal clamping members I I until its walls substantially embrace and cover these members, whereupon the operator will, while thus holding the bag mouth in both hands, raise the trip lever 39 with the back or wrist of one hand and release the dog 31 which holds the latch bar 35. Immediately thereafter the following steps of operation will take place: The links 33 will move upwardly under the influence of their tension springs 4| and will cause the pistons of the control valves 25 to assume their opposite extremes of movement to that shown in Fig. 6, whereby pressure fluid will be admitted to the lower ends of cylinders l3 and exhausted from their upper ends, thus causing the slides l0, and the parts carried by these slides, to move upwardly, the operator meanwhile moving the positioned bag upwardly along with those parts. As this upward movement progresses, the trip rods 21 will be acted upon by their springs 28 to cause the pistons of valves 23 to assume their opposite extremes of movement to that shown in Fig. 5, whereby pressure fluid will be admitted to the upper ends of cylinders l9 and exhausted from their lower ends, thus causing the external clamping members Hi to close upon the bag wall embracing the internal clamping members H which, in their upward movement, have spread apart slightly within the bag mouth, whereupon the bag is securely clamped by the pairs of clamping members and, as the slides continue to move upwardly, has its mouth spread open to oblong shape in position to receive from the chute or hopper 2 a measured quantity of the commodity to be bagged (see Fig. 10), the bag having been raised out of contact with and well above the surface of the conveyor 5. It will be noted that the spreading of the bag mouth is limited by its perimeter, taking into consideration, of course, such characteristics of yieldability as may be inherent in the material of which the bag is made.

After the bag has been filled, the operator will pull down upon the handle 36 of the latch bar 35, and the parts of the bag clamping, spreading and supporting means will be returned to the condition illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 and 9. It will be especially noted, however, that as the slides IEI reach the limit of their downward movement, and before the clamping means have been released, the filled bag will be given one shake or jolt before it separates from the clamping means and drops upon the conveyor belt 5. This is due to the fact that because of a slight lag in the freeing of the clamping means, which is inherent in fluid operated means, the bag will not be immediately released when the clamping means are fully lowered, and, as has been indicated hereinbefore, this shake or jolt serves to settle the contents of the bag and provide sufiicient free upper edge at the mouth of the bag toreadily accommodate the bag to closure stitching by the stitching or sewing machine 1.

Furthermore, it will be apparent that this manner of handling the filled bags prior to stitching makes possible the use of the short and economical, rather than the long and costly, bags for containing the same quantity, say 100 pounds, of a commodity, as it is not necessary for the operator, especially a woman operator, to lift and shake or jolt the filled bag in order to settle the contents sufliciently to provide adequate free material at the mouth for stitching, and, due to the oblong, rather than circular, shape in which the mouth of the bag is held during filling, the free material at the mouth will be easier to gather together for introduction to the stitching or sewing machine. Obviously, also, the manner in which the filled bags are handled, reducing the number and nature of required manual operations, tends to speed up production.

Although the apparatus is designed primarily for the handling for filling of woven fabric bags, it has been found to be efiicient also in the handling for filling of paper bags.

Various changes and modifications are considered to be within the principle of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. Bag filling apparatus, including a pair of internal clamping members for insertion interiorly of the mouth portion of a bag, external clamping members cooperating with said internal clamping members for engagement with the wall of the mouth portion of the bag exteriorly thereof, supporting means for said internal clamping members, means for imparting movement to said supporting means to cause the simultaneous elevation and relative separation and lowering and relative approach, respectively, of said internal clamping members, means for carrying said external clamping members upon said supporting means in such manner that they may be moved into and out of bag clamping relation to said internal clamping members, and means for imparting such movement to the external clamping members as the internal clamping members are elevated and lowered, respectively.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for imparting bag clamping movement to said external clamping members include control means functioning in response to the elevation and lowering of said supporting means.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for imparting bag clamping movement to said external clamping members include fluid pressure operated cylinders and control valves therefor, and means operable in response to elevation and lowering of said supporting means for actuating said control valves.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for imparting movement to said supporting means include fluid pressure operated cylinders and control valves therefor, and manually operated means for actuating said control valves.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for imparting movement to said supporting means include fluid pressure operated cylinders and control valves therefor, and the means for imparting bag clamping movement to said external clamping members also include fluid pressure operated cylinders and control valves therefor, the control valves of the cylinders of said supporting means being provided with manually operated actuating means, and the control valves of the cylinders for operating said external clamping members being provided with actuating means operable in response to elevation and lowering of said supporting means.

6. Bag filling apparatus, including a feed hopper and bag clamping, spreading and supporting means arranged adjacent to the discharge end of said hopper, said means including a pair of slides having their lateral edges supported in guides for linear movement relatively angularly, an internal bag clamping member carried at the lower edge of each of said slides and movable therewith so that said -clamping members will be relatively separated and approached upon elevation and lowering of said slides, respectively, an external clamping member carried by each of said slides and movable into bag clamping and releasing relation to its complementally carried internal clamping member, means for imparting sliding movement to said slides, and means for imparting bag clamping movement to said external clamping members.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which the means for imparting bag clamping and releasing movement to said external clamping members are automatically actuated in response to Sliding movement of said slides.

8. Apparatus as claim 6, in which the said slides provide means for closing and opening communication between the discharge end of Said hopper and a bag supported by said clamping members as the slides are lowered and elevated, respectively.

9. In apparatus for filling bags and including a hopper through which material to be bagged is fed, pairs of guide means flanking said hopper and converging downwardly, a slide laterally supported in each of said pairs of guide means, an internal bag clamping member carried by and adjacent to the lower edge of each of said slides, an external bag clamping member pivotally carried by each of said slides and swingable into and out of bag clamping relation to its complementally carried internal clamping member, an air cylinder complemental to each of said slides and having the rod of its piston connected to its respective slide, an air cylinder carried by each of said slides and having the rod of its piston connected to the external clamping member of its respective slide, means including a control valve for supplying and exhausting compressed air from each of said cylinders, manually operable means for actuating the valves of the cylinders complemental to said slides whereby the slides may be elevated and lowered in said guides, and means operated in response to movement of said slides for automatically actuating the valves of the cylinders of said external clamping members.

LESLIE H. BOW'ES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

